Broken Bonds
by Jess.91
Summary: Sequel to Broken. When you can't rely on your family to help you, on the the man you love to protect your child, all you can do is keep running...
1. Total Terror

Well here it is. Thanks for all the response when I asked about making this sequel. Oh, and I hope everyone had a great Christmas.

Broken Bonds

Summary: Sequel to Broken. When you can't rely on your family to help you, the man you love to protect your child, all you can do is keep on running.

Chapter 1 - Total Terror

Piper Halliwell laid in her bed, looking up at the ceiling. It was a bright sunny morning, and as she usually did lately, she took the time to just relax, think about nothing, and just listen to the soft breathing of her daughter.

Gracie was still sleeping, and so was the rest of the house. Piper was the noyl one awake. And Leo, where ever his orbs had taken him. She wondered again where he went when he wasn't with her, and made yet another mental note to ask him. It was one of the many questions she hadn't got round to... such as asking if he still loved her.

Two months. It had been two months since she had vanquished Zander, since she had decided accidentally let herself fall in love. And in those two months, he hadn't said it again. It was her own fault, of course. She had pushed him away, telling him she wasn't ready. Well, she wasn't, but she still needed to know he was there, waiting.

That was selfish. She couldn't expect him to wait around. And she shouldn't have agreed to that date, either. She had known nothing more would happen at that point, but when he'd suggested dinner, the "just as friends?" wouldn't seen to come out of her mouth. Instead, she said yes, and let Prue force her into one of Phoebe's black dresses, Prue's black heels, and let Paige do her make-up. Make up. She hadn't worn any since before Gracie was born. But she had let Phoebe curl her hair softly, and guiltily gone along to that restaurant, talked, and giggled, and _flirted. _She had actually flirted with him. How could she? Stringing him along like that. And at the end of the night, she'd let him kiss her, before saying "I should go" and slipping back into the house. But that was three weeks ago, and he must have sensed her reluctance, and given up. He was still around, when they needed him, but he'd stopped orbing in just to say hi, and make sure she and Gracie were OK.

She ruined it all.

The soft ringing noise was so quiet she almost didn't hear it, but as soon as she picked up on it, she sat up.

"Leo. Hi." She said. "Uh, what are you doing here?"

"Did you call for me?" He asked, and she shook her head. "Oh. I... thought... I heard a jingle."

"A jingle?" She repeated in confusion.

"When a charge calls for me, I hear a jingle. And, um, you jingled."

"I didn't call."

"Oh." He said again. "Well, I'll go then."

"Wait! Leo!"

"Yes?"

"I... uh... where do you go, you know, where you're not with charges?" He smiled at her, a little bemused.

"Up there. With the elders."

"Oh, OK. Great."

"Why?"

"I just wondered." She murmured. They looked at each other for a little while, then he opened his mouth.

"I'll -"

"Do you want some coffee?" She blurted. "Or food? Breakfast?"

"Ah, sure. Sure, if you want."

"Great? Come on, we'll go downstairs. I think everyone's still in bed, so you can pick what to eat." She said, knowing she sounded completely random. She hesitated at the door, looking back at Gracie's cot.

"She'll be fine on her own for a little while." Leo said softly.

"I know. I know." She replied. Reluctantly, she grabbed the baby monitor, and walked out of the door.

In the kitchen, she made toast, and they sat at the table, talking quietly. She battled with herself for a little while, trying to convince herself to ask him about his feelings for her. Eventually, she said it before she could stop herself.

"Do you still love me?" He looked taken aback, but answered quickly.

"Of course I do."

"Have you... have you given up waiting?" She asked, looking determinedly at the toast on her plate.

"No. I'll wait forever, if I have to." She considered telling him she wanted another date, she didn't know if she was ready yet, needed to find out, but instead she just nodded.

"I shouldn't have taken you to dinner." He sighed. "I don't know what came over me... I made you feel like you had to come, didn't I?"

"What? No, I wanted to go. I just..."

"Didn't want more."

"I didn't say that. I didn't know what I wanted at the time. I... I still don't. I... I'm close to my sisters again, I'm learning to be more relaxed with Gracie, and I think I may be able to work things out with you, too. But I don't know... and I don't want to hurt you."

"Well, if you're willing to risk it, so am I. You wont hurt me, I understand what you've been through."

"OK... OK... so how about another date?" She said awkwardly.

"That sounds great." He nodded. "What about tonight?"

"Tonight? Um, sure. Where?"

"Leave that to me." He smiled.

"OK. Um, Leo? I... I can't be away from her too, long..."

"I'll have you home as soon as you want." He nodded. "You just concentrate on letting your sister's pick your outfit." He grinned.

"How did you know?"

"Because I know you." He smiled.

Before anything else could be said, a loud cry erupted from the baby monitor.

"Gracie!" Piper cried.

"What?"

"Gracie - the monitor - Orb!" She cried, and looking confused, Leo took her hand and orbed the two of them upstairs.

He was leaning over Gracie's cot, just looking at her. He looked up, right into her eyes, and she recognised him instantly. That demon who helped Zander... the one who helped him take her daughter.

She threw her hands out to freeze him, but he was gone. She spent a fraction of a second wondering how he had vanished so quickly, he hadn't shimmered, then she ran to her daughter and lifted her out of the cot.

Gracie woke with a start, which confused Piper... she'd heard her cry on the monitor... how could she be asleep.

"Piper - Piper she's fine. She wasn't even awake." Leo said softly. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong? There was a demon in the room! The demon who worked with Zander! That's what's wrong!"

"What? There was no demon... Piper the room was empty, she was sleeping..." He looked so confused, she almost wasn't angry with him.

Almost.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" She cried. "You must have heard the cry on the monitor, and you did see him! He was stood right here!"

"I... I didn't hear anything. Or see a demon. I... I'm sorry..."

"Bu... but you must have... he was right here..."

"There was no one here." He said softly. He crossed the room, hugged her and Gracie, but she just stood there, and for the first time in almost two months, she was completly, totally, terrified.

* * *

Well there it was. I'll probably be able to update in the next few days, but if not Happy New Year! 


	2. All Over Again

Thanks for all the reviews you fabulous people. I was so close to not bothering with this story, unsure if anyone would want to read it, but you've all assured me I've made the right decision. Anyway, I know it's been a while since the first one went up, but it was the holidays then the emails were down so there didn't seem to be a lot of point. But here it is, so I'll stop typing now.

Chapter 2 - All Over Again

She was still shaking, and it had been almost ten minutes now. Sat uneasily at the kitchen table, her eyes darted around her, and she held Gracie tightly. She didn't want to be here, in the house. That demon, he knew they'd be here, how to get in, how to get into her room, which had so many spells, and crystals in the corners.

"Piper... there's no way a demon could get past it all." Prue said carefully.

"Well he did. No, Prue, don't look at me like that. I _saw_ him."

"Why didn't Leo?" Phoebe asked.

"I don't know." Piper said, sending him a look. "But he was there."

It was back to how it was before. She was scared, and they all thought she was being paranoid. They didn't believe her. It was like a constant loop. When would she break free?

When this demon was vanquished.

She was pretty sure there hadn't been any more demons involved, not by the end. He was the last link.

"So what do you want to do?" Paige asked her.

"I want to vanquish him." Piper said. "And... and maybe move back into my flat."

She got the reaction she had expected - a mixture of horror, sadness and hurt from all three sisters.

"You can't let this ruin everything!" Prue cried. "You were doing so well!"

"Piper, please don't let him drive you out of your own home." Phoebe said.

"We can look after her." Paige said, and when Piper saw the guilt in her youngest sister's eyes, something clicked.

"Paige, honey I don't blame you." She said quickly. It all made sense now - why Paige wouldn't ever be alone with Gracie, why she always looked guilty at the mention of Zander - how had she never realised it before. "It wasn't your fault he took her."

"It was." Paige siad, shaking her head. "I should never have taken her out of the house. I should have tried harder to get back into the house. I should have kept hold of her, I must have been able to stop him. I should have realised the second I opened the door."

"There was no way you could have known, or have stopped him. Paige, it's better that it happened... he's gone now."

_"Everything happens for a reason." Leo murmured._

_"And she's my reason for everything." Piper murmured back._

"Everything happens for a reason." Piper said softly.

"I know... but what if another demon comes after her? If I couldn't stop him, I can't stop the others, can I?"

"You can try." Piper replied.

"You have to believe that you can save her, no matter what." Leo added.

"I shouldn't have fallen for it. I should have realised he was a demon. Something was wrong." Paige sighed. "I'm so stupid."

"Paige, you are not stupid. Listen to me, he fooled you like that, in a disguise, as a stranger. He fooled me for over a year, as himself, and convinced me to... to fall in love with him. I'm more stupid." She stood up, swung Gracie to the other hip. "I don't blame you at all." She said truthfully. Then she walked from the room, and to the stairs.

In the attic, she kept Gracie balanced on her hip while she flicked through the book of shadows, too terrified to put her down. She'd looked for the demon before, a few times, and this time was on different to the others - he wasn't there.

"Did you use him on purpose?" Piper murmured aloud. "A demon we didn't know... who wouldn't be in our book..."

"Piper?" She was surprised Leo was on his own. She had expected her sisters to follow her, to tell her she wasn't stupid for letting Zander get to her... but they hadn't. A part of her was disappointed, even though she would never admit in, even to herself.

"What?" She said, a little sharper than she had intended. To her dismay, she felt herself tighten her grip on Gracie. Did she not trust Leo now either?

Well, he had said he hadn't seen the demon... so, what, his eyes were closed?

"Are you OK?" He asked, and she nodded. "You know he's not in there." He added, nodding at the book.

"It was worth a try." She snapped, and closed the book. She walked round the stand, and crossed the room to the phone, guiltily keeping her distance from Leo.

"You don't trust me." He sighed. "Piper, I'm sorry I didn't see this demon."

"But you believe he was there?" She asked, even though she already knew the answer.

"I believe you saw him." He said carefully.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" She cried angrily.

"I... There are demon's who can make people see things... things that aren't really there. Or... human stuff." He was choosing his words carefully, but not carefully enough. He could tell by her face she was getting angrier and angrier.

"Such as?" She asked tightly.

"Well... things like... like stress, or lack of sleep, or..."

"Or general craziness?" She snapped.

"Piper, calm down." He said carefully.

"No, I wont. Leo, like an hour ago, we were planning a date, and now you're telling me I'm losing my mind? Or did I imagine that too?"

"I'm not saying he wasn't there!" He cried. "Just that I didn't see him."

"Or that her wasn't there."

"There are loads of ways he could have just revealed himself to you, or made you think you saw him -"

"I did see him!" Piper cried, and Gracie started whimpering.

"You're upsetting her." He pointed out.

"I know." She snapped. "Shh, honey-bee, it's OK, it's all OK. Mummy wont let the demon get you. I'll never let them hurt you, I promise." As she murmured softly, Piper pulled the map and scrying crystal from a drawer. She had only scryed once before, and wasn't entirly sure she remebered how. But she was desperate.

"You can't get a read on him." Leo said. "You don't have anything with a connection to him."

"I have a connection to him." She snapped. "The guy tried to take my daughter."

"But -"

"Leo. Shut up." She said sweetly. He closed him mouth, looked vaguely annoyed. "And the date's off." She said. "I'm busy." She sounded cruel, so, so cruel, and she hated herself for it.

"OK." He said simply, and, with her back to him, she screwed her face up. _I have to do this. For him._

"And... listen, maybe the whole me and you thing, well, it's not going to work out, is it? We're just not right for each other. I mean, I like you a lot, but... well, I don't thing we should carry on." I like you a lot... she loved him for God's sake.

"What?"

"No more dates. Ever." She said bluntly, and she could picture the shock and hurt on his face.

"Oh." He said.

"It's just better that way. I mean, it was never going to work out, was it? Me and you?"

"I guess not." He said, and she was crushed. She wasn't going to let him change her mind, but he could at least have tried. "I need to go." He mumbled, and she heard the faint tinkling sound. She waited a few minutes before looking round, and once she had verified he had actually gone, she started to cry silently.

She had to let him go. It was stupid to thing she could have any kind of normal life. This thing was going to hang over her forever, and it would be hard enough stopping it from ruining Gracie's life, without worrying about Leo's too. And she knew she had hurt him, and she was hurting too.

But it was all for the best.


	3. Losing Control

Chapter 3 - Losing Control

Leo sat on the cliff top, looking out a the sea. The sun was still in the sky, but he could still remember that sunset. The one where he realised. He'd never loved someone as much as he loved her. He'd been married before he died, but he hadn't loved Lily, his wife, as much as he loved Piper. Well, not in the same way. Lily had been more like a close friend to him.

But Piper... wow. She took his breath away. He loved everything about her... her voice, her eyes, the way she loved her daughter, the smile he saw so rarely. But it seemed she didn't feel the same way.

She had sounded so cold. So heartless. So unlike her. Even when he'd first orbed into her flat all those months ago, she hadn't sounded so cruel.

She must really hate him for how he'd been with this demon thing. But he really hadn't seen or heard anything.

He had to help her find out what was going on. Had to. Not only because he was her whitelighter and it was her job, or because he loved her, but because he would never forgive himself if anything happened to that kid.

----

Piper looked carefully around her bedroom before putting Gracie down on her bed. She was shaky now, her talk with Leo had really hit her. He probably hated her right now.

Scrying hadn't helped her at all. And she didn't know what to do next.

She paced a few steps, then turned and paced back. It helped her to think, usually, but all she could focus on now was the hurt in Leo's voice.

"Gracie." She mumbled to herself, trying to shift her thoughts. And she thought about the demon. How her daughter wasn't safe. And Zander.

Zander occupied her thoughts way too often. She was trying to get over him, but sometimes, the nightmares still haunted her. She could still see his face, laughing at her, and he was holding Gracie, and she was just sat on the ground, shaking and helpless, crying as demons surrounded the cage she was in...

"You're not that person anymore." She told herself. "You're stronger now... You beat him..."

She picked Gracie up, and walked out of the room, and headed for the stairs, ready to face her sisters.

And he was in front of her.

He hadn't shimmered, he had just appeared from nowhere. It wasn't blinking either, like warlocks did. It was different.

He didn't say a word, just held out a hand to Gracie. And Piper stepped back, almost dropped the infant as she threw a hand out to blow him up. And then, he wasn't there anymore. He just... vanished. And she blew up the picture on the wall behind him.

He sisters ran up together, calling her name, and she looked around uneasily, clutching Gracie tightly.

"He was here." Piper gasped. "He was right here... then he just went... Oh, god, oh my god."

"Piper, calm down." Prue said.

"How the hell can I calm down? A demon is after my daughter!! Oh, god, oh, god. we need to vanquish him, we need to summon him, and kill him."

"We can't summon him without his name." Phoebe said. "We need to find out who he is."

"How can we do that? Huh? Come on, super witch, tell us all how to solve this!" Piper snapped.

"Piper..." Paige said quietly, but Piper didn't stop.

"Well she always has an answer for everything. Or better yet, how about you, Prue? What do you think we should do, eh? You're always full of ideas, come on."

"Piper, calm down." Prue said sharply.

"You know, Prue, if this was Parker, you'd expect us too pull out all the stops, wouldn't you? But no, not for Gracie." Piper pushed past Phoebe, stormed down the stairs and out of the house. She loaded Gracie into the baby seat, and started to drive.

She didn't know where she was going, just somewhere, anywhere.

"It's OK, Gracie." She said, somehow keeping her voice calm. "We'll be OK. We don't need them to help us, or Leo. We don't need anyone. We'll be -"

The car came out of no where, and she had no chance of avoiding it. She didn't even see it until the hit hers, and then it was too late.

Her daughter's name escaped from her mouth, and Gracie's screams rang in her ears... but the next second all went quiet, all went black, and her thoughts died...

**Really short chapter, I'm sorry guys. But I've I get lots of reviews, I'll update soon...**


	4. Where it Ends

I think I've been a little slow with the updates for a while, but here's chapter 4, only a day or so after chapter 3... yay me...

Chapter 4 - Where it Ends

Phoebe ran down the halls of the hospital, looking around herself widely, Paige right behind her. It was all so familiar, the hurried, panicked phone call from Prue, the dash to the hospital, even the hallway looked the same.

What would she do if Piper died? Or Gracie? Or... oh, god, if they both did? She didn't know what she'd do, didn't know how she'd get through that.

"Stop it." Paige said breathlessly.

"What?"

"Thinking about them dying. It's not going to happen. This is Piper, she's beat worse than this before." Paige said. "And Gracie, well, so has she. Nothing can beat that kid. She's a Halliwell."

Phoebe nodded, smiled faintly even though Paige couldn't see it. "Thanks."

"Welcome. Come on, this way." Paige took the elder sisters hand and pulled her down a different corridor, one that was so unfamiliar Phoebe breathed a little easier. They entered the room and Phoebe gasped with relief at the sight of her older sister half-laid, half-sat in the hospital bed - alive, and awake.

"Piper!" Paige cried, and the next second Piper flinched as her younger sisters dived on her.

"You're OK, you're OK." Phoebe mumbled, and Piper guiltily guessed what Phoebe had expected. The last time any of them had set foot in a hospital, they had left full of greif, and in Piper's case, fear.

"Yeah. Listen, Pheebs, about before... I'm really sorry." She said. She had already apologised to Prue, and like the oldest sister, Phoebe waved it off.

"It's fine. It doesn't matter. I understand." Phoebe siad. "Gracie... how is she?"

"She's OK. The doctor's have her under observation, just because she's so young. She wasn't hurt at all." Piper said, the guilt in her voice easy to detect.

"What happened? How did you crash?" Phoebe asked. After Piper had left the house, they had waited half an hour before calling her mobile. When they hadn't gotten an answer, Prue had gone to look for her, and then she had called home, telling them Piper had been in a crash and they were on their way to the hospital in an ambulance.

"This car just came out of nowhere." Piper said. "I don't know what happened. By the time I saw it, it was already hitting the passenger side."

"Are you OK, then? Broke anything, or anything?" Paige asked, looking Piper up and down."

"I banged my head when the other car hit us, and somehow managed to do this." Piper pointed to the long gash running down the left side of her face. "But the car hit the front passenger side - Gracie didn't get hurt." She said. "Thank god."

"When are they letting you out?" Phoebe asked.

"They want to keep an eye on me, too. In case I have concussion." Piper shrugged. "I don't know how long that'll be."

"Couldn't we discharge you and get Leo to do his little trick?" Paige asked.

"No! No, don't call him." Piper said, a little too fast. "We... we'll do this normally. Don't call Leo."

"Have you guys argued or something?" Prue asked.

"Uh... Kinda. I kinda told him it wasn't going to happen between us." She murmured, looking down at her hands.

"What? Why?"

"Because it won't. Something's always going to get in the way, isn't it? I need to just concentrate on Gracie, on keeping her safe. It's going to be hard enough making sure this whole magic thing doesn't screw her up, without worrying about ruining Leo's life too." She said. When Phoebe opened her mouth, she shook her head. "It's for the best." She said, and thankfully, Prue changed the subject.

----

They had been to see Gracie, and now she was back in her own room, her sister's gone, and the hospital silent. Moonlight was shining through the small window, and she looked around the room, wide-awake. She couldn't sleep without curtains. Never had been able to. When she was younger, she had been scared of vampires, and unless the curtains were closed she had been too scared to look away from the night outside, in case one flew past. Now, the dark sky just made her uneasy.

She wanted to be with Gracie. She hadn't ever spent a night away from her daughter, and they wouldn't let her be with her. They didn't understand, and she couldn't explain. what if he got to her? She listened carefully for a scream, and yell, an alarm. Something. But heard nothing.

Then she saw it. Just a shadow, a tiny movement, and her heart beat faster, a roaring sound filled her ears. He stepped right into the moonlight, and she cried out. Him, he was here.

She tried to blow him up, but nothing happened. This time, he didn't even leave, just stepped forward.

"You can't kill me." He hissed. "You can't hurt me."

"Who are you?" She asked desperately.

"I'm not that stupid, witch." He said. "I won't give you my name." She tried to blow him up again, as he stepped forward.

"Why are you doing this?" She said, her voice tearful. She felt so helpless. She couldn't protect Gracie. She had failed.

"Because someone has too." He said quietly. "I worked hard on this plan, you know? Yeah, Zander put everything he had into it, but I worked hard. And I'm not letting it go to waste. I'm going to do exactly what he was going to - kill you and give Gracie the life she was supposed to have."

"How are you doing this? Are you even real...?"

"I'm real alright." He grinned. "But I'm not going to tell you how. It works better that they all think you're seeing things." He smirked at her, and then he was gone. Shaking, she through the covers back. She ddin't care what the stupid doctor's said. She wasn't going to leave Gracie alone - ever.

He wasn't there. She had been terrified she would see him, and when she didn't, she ran to the cot she knew was Gracie's. And, thankfully, the toddler was still there, sleeping soundly. Piper gently touched Gracie's arm, just to make sure she was really there. Then she sat down on the chair beside the cot, and fixed her eyes on her daughter.

What did he want from her? What was he planning? And where the hell would it all end?


	5. Slowly, Slowly

Chapter 5 - Slowly, Slowly

Carkan opened his eyes, and smiled. He didn't get up, as this whole thing took a lot of energy. Even though he'd only been with Piper a few minutes, he was worn out. The whole projection thing was a lot of work. The old demon who had given him the potions had told him that, but he hadn't anticipated how tired he'd be afterwards. That was why he had to take it slower than he had wanted to. But Zander had always said Gracie was worth all the energy, the time, the demons. And Carkan had never had any reason to doubt this.

Besides, he knew this would work. This had been a plan of Zander's, a back-up plan. If they hadn't been able to take Gracie, he had mentioned something about sending Piper crazy. Distract them all. And Piper. Then, when they had broke her, they could take the girl. That was exactly how he planned it all.

He wasn't worried about it working, but he was a little nervous about getting the kid. The last time, she had screamed the place down, and even Zander hadn't been able to shut her up. How was he supposed to cope alone?

But he would try, because he had been a part of this plan from the very beginning, and he wanted to see it through too. And to bring Gracie up, just like Zander had wanted to.

And even though Zander had been a better demon, Carkan was determined not to fail. He wouldn't let the plan go to waste. Or Gracie and her powers. No matter how long it took.

----

Piper finally stepped back through the door of the manor, relieved to be out of the hospital. She glanced carefully around her, and tried to ignore the look she saw Piper give Phoebe. She had told all three of her sister's about the demon's night time visit, but she knew they found it hard to believe her. She didn't care, though, she knew it was real.

Well, she was pretty certain, most of the time.

"So, what do you want to do?" Paige asked her "We've looked in the book again, but he's definetly not in there. And we've looked in some of the other books in the attic, but there's nothing in there, either.

Piper was surprised, but tried to hide it. There were actually looking for the demon? But she had thought...

"We also looked for demon's who could make people see things. There's one who can bring fears to life, but he only comes out once every few thousand years. And this isn't really his M.O." Prue said.

"I'm not seeing things." Piper said, her voice sharper than she had tried to make it.

"Piper... listen, you spent, like, a year, looking over your shoulder all the time, worried about Gracie, scared a demon would come after you at any time. Do you think maybe you can't let go of that, and you're... well, giving yourself something to worry about?"

"No. I don't." Piper said. "Paige, where are these other books?" She asked, carefully looking away from her older sister.

"In the attic. Bookshelf by the window. Start at the third shelf down, we've done the top two."

"Right." Piper nodded, and carried Gracie to the stairs. She heard Prue sighed, but ignored it, and just carried on walking up, until she reached the attic.

She chose the first book on the third shelf, ignoring the nagging feeling she should start at the top, in case they'd missed anything. They only knew what to look for from her description. What if he was in there...

"No. Trust them." She muttered to herself, and carried the book over to the overstuffed arm chair in the corner. Arranging herself so she could hold tightly to Gracie and still read the book, she opened the first page, and looked at the picture. It was off some kind of dragon. Dragon? Were they real too? It was bad enough finding out about demons, warlocks, fairies. But dragons too?

"As long as they don't come knocking on the door." She muttered, and flipped the page.

She'd been sat there for almost half an hour - an unproductive half hour - when she saw him. No shadows, no light movements. Just a manic laugh as he appeared. She screamed, threw the book at him, and it went through him. She tried desperately to blow him up, knowing it wouldn't work.

"Prue! Phoebe! Paige!" She cried, her voice scratching at her throat, a choked sob escaping as she got to her feet, clinging to Gracie.

"I'm not that stupid, Piper." He hissed. "I wont let them see me."

"Why? Why are you doing this?" She said, and to her own disgust her voice descended into a wail.

"You know why." He said. Then he grinned, as her sister's footsteps and calls could be heard. "Watch your back." And then he was gone, and she sank to her knees, fear and despair taking over.

She felt someone's arms come around her, Paige, she realised. But he was gone, they wouldn't believe her.

She looked down, and to her confusion, saw the book by her side. She had thrown it at him... how had it got back over here. She had thrown it at him...

"Not again." She heard Prue say. Prue didn't believe her.

Did she even believe herself?


	6. Running Away

Chapter 6 - Running Away

She didn't get much sleep that night. She slept with Gracie in the bed next and every time she dropped off she saw him face, heard Gracie crying, and woke up, shaking and struggling to breath properly. At about four in the morning she gave up trying to sleep, and switched on her bedside light instead. She tried to read a book, but couldn't take it in, and after the threw it down, just sat looking at the wall.

Was he real? Or was she just losing her mind? Was it like Prue said, was she just making the demon up?

No. no, he was real. He was just trying to make her think he wasn't, she was sure of that. But how could she get away from him? He knew where she was, he knew she was here...

She had to leave the house. She had to move out. She still had the lease on her little bedsit, until the end of the month. She could renew it, and live there. Yeah. Maybe he couldn't get her there. Or maybe...

It wouldn't be easy to do. And she'd have to use magic to do it properly. She'd seen the potions, though, in one of Grams boxes, read the labels. She could take some on them, and use that spell she'd seen in the book...

It was almost seven now, so she got up, and after careful consideration, woke Gracie too. The baby didn't cry, for which Piper was thankful. She didn't want to wake the whole house.

When she reached the kitchen, however, she saw Prue was already awake, and pouring coffee out by the sink.

"Oh, hey. Bit early for you, isn't it?" Prue smiled, as Piper took a seat at the table.

"Couldn't sleep." Piper shrugged. "Pour me some coffee." Prue did so, and handed her the steaming cup. Piper set it on the table, then looked up as Prue sat opposite her.

"I need to talk to you about something, actually." She said carefully.

"About?" Prue said, and for the first time, Piper saw dark cirlces around her sister's eyes.

"I'm moving back into my flat."

"What?!" Prue cried. "Why the hell -"

"Prue, I always said I would. And Gracie and I will be safer there."

"What makes you think he wont find you there?" Prue demanded. "While your alone with no one to help you?"

"You can't help me anyway - he waits until I'm alone before coming to me. Please don't make this difficult. I'm moving out and that's that."

"But... but..."

"In fact, I think I'll go pack now." Piper said, and stood up. "I thought I could count on your support. But I guess not." She walked out of the kitchen, and up the stairs, angry to find herslf close to tears.

Because she hadn't felt this alone in two months. And she'd forgotton how bad it felt.

-----

She ignored all of them when they tried to talk her out of it. Prue's shouting, Phoebe's pleading, Paige's reasoning. And when Parker stalked into her room, and told her she wasn't allowed to move out because he liked her and Gracie living with him, she calmly told him he wasn't going to change her mind, and he could tell his mother that too. And when he emptied the bad she's jjust pakced, she simply repacked it, and he walked off sulking.

Finally, Leo orbed in. She had half expected it, but she was still annoyed - her sisters knew what had happened between them - how could they bring him into it.

"Don't you knock?" She asked, trying to keep her voice mild.

"No, I don't." He said. "What are you doing?" He sounded angry, and she couldn't blame him. She had hurt him.

"Packing."

"I can see that."

"Then why did you ask?" She replied.

"Ir's not safe for you to move out." He told her.

"It's not safe for me to stay."

"You're safer here."

"Prove it."

"You sound like a little kid." He snapped, and she fought a smile.

"So?" She zipped the bag up, then moved onto Gracie's things. "Don't try to talk me out of it."

"Piper, you are no safer in your flat than here. He's still going to find you."

"I have to try." She said. "Look, the rest of you might be prepared to wait and see what happens, but I'm not. I'm leaving." She dumped an armload of clothes into the bag, then turned back to the drawer.

"If you're hear, we can protect you."

"Leo... if I'm not with my sister's, can demons still detect my magic?"

"Yes... but unless you are together they don't know your a charmed one. Just a regular witch."

"So he wouldn't be able to find me?"

"He'd find your sisters. Then you."

"Well I'll deal with that when it happens." She replied, and Leo sighed, not knowing he'd just defined her plan.

"It's not safe." He said, sounding both angry and worried.

"Let me worry about that." She said. "It hasn't got anything to do with you."

"It has everything to do with me!" He cried, and finally she turned around.

"How, exactly?" She said coldly.

"Strangley enough, I don't really want to see you dead." He snapped.

"Why do you even care?" She snapped back.

"Because I love you!"

She had never known someone could say those words with such anger in their voice, but he had. She didn't know what to say to that - after the way she had been to him he still loved her.

"Well, that's your problem." She said finally, turning back to Gracie drawer and pulling some more clothes out.

"I know." He said, still sounding angry. "But just because you've given up on us, it doesn't mean I'm going to stand back and let the two of you get killed. I'm going to find out what's going on, and I'm going to help you stop it. But you can't stop it when you're out there on your own, away from your sisters."

"I can try." She replied. "I didn't ask for your aproval. I didn't ask for anyones'. I'm moving out. Get over it." She snapped. She zipped up the second bag, then turned back to him.

"So you're moving back into your flat?" He asked, and she turned back to the bag, knowing she was a bad liar.

"Yep. And we're going to have a no-orbing rule. Knock on the door like a normal person."

"You do know I can sense you." He said.

"What does that have to do with anything?" She snapped. As if she hadn't thought of that. As if she hadn't spent almost an hour planning it.

"I'll know if you go somewhere else." He said quietly, and she turned back to him in anger.

"Stop trying to analyze me all the freaking time!" She cried. "I know you think you know me so well, and you know what I'm thinking but you don't, OK. You don't know me at all."

"I know a lot about you. And I care a lot about you. Just... don't do anything stupid, OK? And if you ever need me... I'm only a word away."

"I know... Thanks." She said quietly.

"I better go." He said. She nodded, and turned away again as the bright lights began to form. She waited a few seconds before finally pulling herself together and grabbing hers and Gracie's coats. She laid them on the bed, then carried her daughter up the the attic, her handback slung over her shoulder. Once in the attic, she went quickly over to the table by one wall, and took the lid off the big wooden box. She grabbed handfulls of the little bottles, not careing what the colourd liquid did, and dumped them in her bag. Then she went over to the book of shadows, picking up a pen and paper on her way. She flipped to the right page, and scribbled the four lines down. She didn't even know where she was going... but she would do anything to keep her daughter save. Even running away.

_First rule of life: Don't trust anyone. Trust is a weakness and trusting just sets you up for pain..._


	7. Regrets Solve Nothing

OK, before you read the chapter, don't hold me to any time-line, or travel arrangements. I've never been to America, don't know how the trains work there (Not the actual trains, I mean like the times and how far they travel. I'm guessing the trains work in the same way.) if you can even travel to different states by trains, or how long it would take. Just thought I'd warn you all in case someone didn't like the lack of realism.

Anyway, on with the chapter.

Chapter 7 - Regrets Solve Nothing

Now she felt stupid. What did she think she was, a schoolgirl? Running away, really? She was almost twenty-six, for crying out loud, and she was a mother. But she'd behaved like a little kid, packing up and running away like that. All she needed was a note on the pillow and the sheets hanging from her window and she could pretend to be a teenager again.

She sat down on the bench at the bus station, mentally scolding herself. OK, so she hadn't climbed out of the window, and she had told her sister's she was leaving, but still...

The thought she was nice and safe in her little flat, and instead she was sat here, waiting for the next train to come. Instead of driving to her flat like her sister's thought she was - without a goodbye, as none of them were speaking to her - she had parked her car outside her apartment building, and walked the few blocks to the bus stop, rode to the station.

She loved California. Always had. Always would. It was her home, the place she grew up, and yet she was leaving it.

She didn't even know what she was going to do when she got to Phoenix. But after she'd prepared her magic bag, she'd gone back into her room, and taken out her map of the U.S.A. Arizona had caught her eye and Phoenix... well, Phoenix was symbolic somehow. A Phoenix rises up from it's ashes, it's own death, and her she was, starting her life over.

But she'd never set foot in the place. She'd have to find a hotel - oh, god, what if she couldn't afford a place for the night? Until she could get to the bank, all she had was the money she'd kept at home.

What about a job? She had worked part time as a waitress up until recently, in a place that actually had an area for kids, so she could keep and eye on Gracie, and Prue had forced her into taking some time off to get over the Zander thing. She'd been planning on going back next month, but what about now? How would she manage without any income?

She regretted it now, leaving home so fast. She should have taken more time to think this through. To plan. Prepare.

She didn't have to do this now. She could change the ticket, go back to her flat, take more time, then travel next week. She could make up more potions, write out more spells - she had been planning on making up some of her own if needed, and buying some ingredients when she got to Phoenix. She had one of Grams' old potion books in her case, but it wasn't as good as the book of shadows.

A train pulled up in front of her, and with a sickening jolt she realised it was hers. She looked down at her one-way ticket, and bit her lip. She could turn around, go to her flat, and do everything she'd just thought of. Or she could follow her original plan through, and get on this train and ride to her new life.

She stood up, her legs shaking slightly, and tightened her grip on Gracie. She gathered her bags up, and paused, looking towards the doors of the train station. She had to decided. And now.

Most people had boarded now. One decision, to change her entire life. And she only had seconds to make it. She looked from the door to the train, then back to the door.

_Regrets solve nothing._

She walked quickly over to the train before she could change her mind, and bored, her breathing uneven.

She found a seat easily, as the train was pretty empty. Then she threw down her bags, sat down with Gracie on her knee and looked out of the window as the train started to move.

There was no going back now.

----

Prue stood at the window and watched her younger sister's car drive away, her niece in the back of it.

"She's actually gone." She said quietly, half-surprised, half-annoyed. "I didn't think she'd actually go through with it."

"What? Come on, this is Piper. I knew she would." Phoebe sighed. "I just hope she comes back soon. What if this demon attacks her while she's alone in the flat?"

"Then she's screwed." Prue muttered.

"She's not stupid. She'd call for me or Leo if anything happened." Paige shrugged. "Leave it a day, then give her a call. Get her to come over for dinner or something." Then her eyes widened. "Oh, no. Piper's not here anymore... it's back to food poisoning every other day." She sighed. "I'll go dig out the take-away menu's and stick them back onto the fridge."

"Hey!" Phoebe cried. "We're not that bad -"

"Pheebs, yes we are." Prue replied, grinning.

"Yeah." Phoebe said, with a mock-sigh, smiling widely, as Paige walked out of the room. As the youngest sister rooted through the kitchen drawer, she felt close to tears. Piper was gone, again. It was back to feeling like something was missing, to wishing she could see her niece more, wishing she knew her sister and niece were safe...

She didn't know if this time, they could all come through it as a family still.

----

Piper stepped into the cool, fresh air, and tried her hardest to feel free. But she didn't, she felt lost, and alone, and trapped. She had thought she'd feel safer here, away from demons and magic, but she didn't.

She didn't even have anywhere to live! Oh, god, what if she ended up having to sleep on the streets? Gracie, Gracie couldn't survive living on the streets, oh, oh, no -

"Calm yourself, girl." Piper muttered to herself. "And start looking for a hotel."

---- One day later ----

Prue cut of the phone, and put it down on the table carefully, worried thoughts swimming around her brain.

"What? Is she OK?" Phoebe asked. "Prue?"

"The line's not connected."

"Well she just moved back in. Call her mobile." Paige said, but she had a sinking feeling about that, too. Prue nodded, and picked the phone back up, pressed and held the number 2, and listened as the phone automatically dialled Piper's number. It rang, and rang, and rang, then finally clicked to voicemail. Prue hung up, then speed-dialled again. This time as the ringing echoed in her ear, Paige sat up straighter.

"You hear that?"

"What?" Phoebe asked.

"Just stay on the phone. Keep it ringing." Paige got up and walked slowly down the hall, pausing before entering the kitchen. A few minutes later she was back and in her hand...

"Piper's phone." Phoebe said heavily, as the small handset stopped it's little tune when Prue hung up.

"She left it." Paige nodded.

"Well I'll drive over there and give her it."

"We'll orb." Paige said, shaking her head. When her sister's looked at her, she shook it again. "I have a really bad feeling. She's had a whole day to come back for it, and she hasn't... come on."

----

The hotel wasn't great, but it was a roof, and she had been so terrified of sleeping on the street that she didn't care. The bed hadn't been fun to sleep on... well, lay awake looking at the ceiling all night. She hadn't slept, didn't know if she ever would. She daren't spend too much money, either, because she didn't know how long it would have to last her. She was unlikely to find a restaurant here that offered childcare, it had been hard enough to find her old place. And she couldn't live in this place for ever anyway, she had to find an apartment.

She needed more money that she had in the bank, and she had no way of getting any.

_Ask for help._

The thought slipped into her mind before she could stop it. But she shook her head, forced herself not to think about her sister's, about how they were bound to find out she wasn't at the flat, bound to be worried. She had already cast the spell which would hide her from them all. It would block scrying, spells and even Leo's sensing. They had no where of knowing where she was...


	8. No Where To Run

Been a little lazy with the updates lately, so very sorry, it's cos I've actually finished writing the story and so I keep forgetting. Only two chapters left, so I'll try to get them up in the next two days, OK?

Chapter 8 - No Where To Run

Prue continued banging on the door, even though she knew nothing would come of it.

"Where the hell is she?" Paige cried. "And what does she think she's doing?"

"Leo!" Phoebe yelled, not bothered by the noise the three of them were making. In the other flats on that floor, the people inside were looking at each other, turning down their TVs to hear better, and walking towards their doors, undecided on whether to venture into the hall or not.

Leo orbed in quickly, and tried to look surprised to see where they were. He'd been expecting this, and had already prepared what he was going to say. Well, he hadn't had much else to do.

"Yes?" He asked politely.

"Piper. She's not here." Phoebe said, and Leo felt a pang of guilt at the look of desperation in her eyes.

"Is she out?"

"We don't think so. We don't think she ever even came back." Paige said. "She left her cell phone at our house, and the house phone isn't connected. And I have this feeling -"

"Then where is she?"

"I thought you could tell us that." Phoebe snapped. Leo nodded, and closed his eyes, not worried at all. After a few seconds, he began to frown.

"It's jammed." He said, half to himself. "Oh, no, Piper, no..." He whispered as he opened his eyes.

"What?" For the first time, Prue stopped banging on the door and turned around.

"She's cast a spell or something. She's blocked me. I can't sense her. I didn't even think she knew it was possible. This is all my fault."

"What do you mean?" Prue asked sharply, fixing her icy eyes on him. "How is it your fault?"

"I... OK, when I tried to talk her out of staying - when you made me - I got the feeling she wasn't planning on coming here. But I didn't think she knew she could block me, magic, from finding her."

"Is she stupid?" Paige cried. "What if he goes after her? What if he kills them? She'll be alone and we won't even know about it!"

"Paige calm down -" Leo began, but she cut him off.

"How can I calm down? This is all your fault! And hers!" Paige looked back at Prue. "If you hadn't been trying to tell her she was going crazy, if you'd have believed her, she wouldn't have gone!"

"You didn't believe her either!" Prue snapped.

"I never said that!" Paige cried. "I never said I didn't believe her. Or any of your little I believe you think you saw him. How pathetic is that? She thought we thought she was crazy. And she's ran away because she can't trust us. Her and Gracie... I hope you can live with yourselves."

And she orbed out, not caring that her sister's were stranded, not caring about anything.

Except Piper and Gracie.

----

She was wrong. She hated being wrong, despised it, and always had.

And she was wrong. And it was going to get her killed.

She's been so sure he wouldn't come. Well, mostly. And she wouldn't let herself think he might do...

But he had.

She's screamed as soon as she saw him, unable to control herself. She had Gracie in her arms - ha, like she ever put her down - and she had tried to run. To _run._

But he'd just laughed and then he was in front of her. And she knew she was going to die. And Gracie was going to be taken.

"All alone, Pipes?" He said, and her blood ran cold. Pipes. Zander's nickname for her. It's what he'd called her in the first few months, before she finally told him she didn't like it.

"No." She found herself saying. "Prue's -"

"Don't lie." He said. "I know you and the kid are alone. And this time, Pipes, I'm not leaving. Not without her." But he faded away...

Only, seconds later he shimmered in. Actually shimmered.

And she knew then he was definetly real.

She didn't even think of blowing him up. Maybe because it had never worked before, maybe because she felt so helpless, but whatever it was, it was a mistake.

She wanted to run, just run and never stop, but that hadn't worked so far... she'd ran all the way to Arizona and he'd still found her.

She didn't even see the knife coming, but she felt it, felt it slice through her skin and sink into her abdomen, stinging and causing white-hot pain to spread.

She tried to stay on her feet for Gracie - if she hadn't have had the girl in her arms she would have sank to the floor. But through the pain and dizziness she tried to take another step, but the room was spinning, every nerve in her body felt like fire, her mind was screaming, and the back of her eyes ached.

When he stepped forward and lifted Gracie from her arms, she knew she didn't have the strength to stop him. She tried to cling to Gracie, tried her hardest but her arms were numb now, she couldn't feel properly.

"I win, witch." Carkan hissed.

"I... I don't even know who you are..." She said, her voice slicing through her throat. He last desperate thought was to get his name, just his name was all she needed.

"I'm not that stupid, Pipes." He laughed. "Don't worry you're pretty little head about it all. In a few minutes you'll be dead..."

-----

Leo had orbed Prue and Phoebe home straight after Paige, who was close to tears as she scryed for them.

"She's blocked it all." Leo said softly, but Paige shook her head, not trusting herself to speak.

"We'll get her back." Prue said.

"You can't know that." Phoebe snapped. "She could be dead already!"

"Don't talk like that." Leo said. "Phoebe, use you're powers. Try and get a -"

His sentenced died out, as did his thoughts as he felt a sharp pain in his stomached, pain like he had never felt before, then a sensation that was all too familiar for him, that brought the memory flooding back.

"Piper!" He cried, as his own death rushed though his mind, that feeling of letting go and just floating...

"Leo? Leo?!" Prue cried, and suddenly the pain had vanished.

"Piper." He said again, his breathing uneven and shallow.

"What's happened to her?!" Prue cried, her voice high and slightly screechy.

"She's dying." He said, his heart thudding fast and hard, eachoing painfully against his chest, panic rising as the realisation hit him, and without even thinking about it, he grabbed hold of Prue and Phoebe, and the second Paige grabbed Phoebe's hand he orbed them, not even thinking about where he was going.


	9. Lifesaver

Chapter 9 - Lifesaver...

They appeared in a rain of orbs behind the demon, but Piper didn't trust her eyes, or her messed-up brain to tell her the truth. They couldn't be here, it was impossible, and the demon didn't see them... now she really was imagine things.

Irony. Was that what they called it? She couldn't remember, and didn't even wonder why she was thinking about it, forcing her mind to use it's last bit of energy to conjure up a bad high school flashback.

But the next second, Phoebe had sent a well placed kick into the demon's back, sending him stumbling forward, while Paige orbed Gracie into her own arms. Carkan turned around, raised his hand ready to conjure a fireball, but before he could, Leo charged at him. He just flew towards him, sending him flying backwards and hitting the floor, then he was crouched by Piper's side. He was fuzzy though, she could barely make out his face. She was dying, and she noyl realised it somehwere on the outskirts of her thoughts.

"Gracie." She mumbled. Paige had her, Paige had her she was OK. Piper was warm, comfortably warm, and felt... safe.

"Piper, can you hear me? Can you hear me? Talk, damn it!"

"I hear you." She muttered, a little annoyed. Why was he snapping at her?

"It's OK, you'll be OK..." She felt the warm feeling slipping away gradually, until only a small area of her stomach felt heated. And as everything slid back into focus, she remembered. She looked down in time to see the golden light that was coming from Leo's hands disappear, and realised the knife next to him was dripping in her own blood.

"Nice." She muttered, and quickly looked over towards the noise...how could she not have heard it before? Prue and Phoebe were fighting the demon the best the could, but judging by the tattered remains of Phoebe's sleeve, and the cut that decorated Prue's forehead, it wasn't going to well. Paige was desperatly orbing things towarss the demon, hitting him with anything she could see in the bare hotel room, while trying to keep her disyance in order to protect Gracie.

"Oh, god." Piper desperatly flicked her hands out, and smiled as the explosion bounced of the demon's shoulder, buring a hole in his jacket.

"You're OK!" Prue cried, and Piper nodded, jumping to her feet and pushing away her guilt.

"Not for long." Carkan replied, and sent a fireball spinning in her direction. It turned to dust jus a foot away from him.

"Thanks, kid." Piper said, smiling proudly before springing forward.

"Spell?" She asked, and Prue and Phoebe looked at each other, then shook their heads.

"Potion?" Piper asked, and again her sisters looked at each other and shook their heads, as Paige hit Carkan over the head with the broken lamp that had been laid on the floor.

"_Plan_?" Piper asked, and Phoebe forced a smile.

"Don't die?" She suggested weakly.

"Good one." Piper nodded, the egde of sarcasm in her voice clear.

Leo was the one that pulled her to the floor, and the second fireball sailed over her head.

"Hey!" Prue sent Carkan flying across the room, but he jumped up striahgt away.

"OK, Paige, his name's Carkan. Ring any bells?"

Paige shook her head, and Piper cursed silently. Prue had Carkan magically pinned to the wall, hoisted a few inches above the ground, but Piper could see the effort it took, and knew it wouldn't last long.

"What the hell are we gonna do?" she cried, and met Phoebe's gaze. "Make one up." Piper said quickly.

"Me?" Phoebe's eyes widened.

"Yeah, you, who else? You've done it before."

"Not like this! Not with the demon right in front of me, ready to kill us!"

"Phoebe!"

"I can't!" Phoebe cried.

"Uh, Piper..." Paige said slowly.

"Yes you can!" Piper cried. "Get rhyming!"

"I don't even know where to start!"

"Pheebs...Piper..." Paige said, a little louder.

"Just start!" Piper said.

"Why can't you, why does it have to be-"

"GUYS!" Paige yelled, and finally both sister's turned, as Carkan slipped and inch down the wall.

Gracie was still balanced on Paige's hip, but her eyes were fixed on Carkan. And both eyes were slowly developing a green glow...

"What's happening?" Piper cried, springing forward. "Graice? Gracie!"

Graice's eyes continued to turn green, until her eyes were no longer visible, just the emerald green light.

"Graice!" Piper cried again, but the cry of pain made her turn.

Carkan was on the floor now, but his skin was slowly blistering, and he was twitching and yelping in pain.

"What the hell...?" Prue murmured.

"Gracie... oh, god, she's doing it. Graice's doing it..." Piper cried.

Smoke was slowly rising from the demo now, his skin was turning redder and redder, the skin bubbling like boiling water, and he was screaming.

They all watched, shocked and terrified, as his skin began to melt, and then sudddenly, he exploded.

Nothing was left, not even a scorch mark on the grounf.

"Oh...my..." Piper whispered. She looked back at her daughter, whose eyes had turned back to normal. She was smiling widely and held out her arms. Piper took her gently from Paige, held her close. "He nearly got you, I'm so sorry... I nearly lost you... I'll never let you go again..." She murmured.

"It's OK, she's safe now." Leo said, and wrapped his arms around the both of them.

"Is she?" Piper said, close to tears. "Will she ever be safe...?"


	10. Unwritten

Chapter 10 - Unwritten

Leo orned her and Graice home with his arms still around her, Prue nad Phoebe orbed with Paige. Piper got the vague feeling he didn't want to let her go, but after a long hug he finally did.

"Thanks for gettting them there." She said finally.

"How did you know where to go?" Prue asked. "You said you couldn't sense her."

"Yeah, how did you? I cast a spell..."

"I couldn't." Leo said. "But I felt you get stabbed-"

"Felt it?"

"I felt it like it happened to me." He nodded. "And I felt you dying...I nearly lost you..."

"How did you sense her though?" Phoebe asked.

"I didn't. I just orbed." He admitted. "I don't know how I knew where to go."

"It's cos you love her." Phoebe smiled.

"That's so sweet." Paige beamed, and Piper felt annoyed at the blush that crept onto her face.

"Maybe we should leave these guys alone for a while." Prue said slyly. "Come on. We'll go find and Andy and my boy." The three of them left, grinning away, and Piper dropped onto the sofa, holding Gracie tight. Graice closed her eyes and was asleep in seconds.

"I'm sorry I wasn't more help." Leo said finally.

"What? You were loads of help, you saved my life!"

"In the begining..."

"I can understand that." Piper said. "By the end of it, I wasn't sure if I even believed it. I'm sorry I blocked your senser thing. It was stupid. But I just wanted to run..."

"I know. I understand."

"And I'm sorry for waht I said... about me and you... I didn't even mean it..."

"It's OK. It doesn't matter."

"I want you to know... I just wanted to protect you. You shouldn't have to deal with all my problems...it's not fair to you."

"I'm your whitelighter. It's my job." He shrugged, and she felt crushed. Just her whitelighter? Was that all?

She had really messed it up now.

"Well, um, thanks." She muttered.

"So where does this leave us?" He asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean... are we ever going to go on this date? Or just you just want to stay friends?" He looked nervous, she thought. How adorable.

"I think...if you want...we could give that date ago." Piper said. He smiled and nodded.

"How about now?" He asked suddenly.

"Now? Right now?"

"Yep. We're alone anyway. And it's the perfect time." She didn't know what the last remark meant, didn't really think about it.

"What about Gracie?"

"Bring her. She's part of the package. You guys come together." He said. Piper smiled.

"Yeah. Yeah, we do. OK, let's go. This way I get to wear my own clothes."

"True." He stood up, pulled her to her feet and orbed them...

She smiled as she realised where they were. The cliff, their cliff.

"The sun." She murmured. It was low in the sky, just begining to set.

He just smiled.

"This is it, now." She said. "No more messing about, I promise. I love you, and that's it."

"Are you sure?"

"More sure than I've ever been about anything."

"I love you too." He whispered.

"What if... what if something else happens to Gracie? Would you still stick around?"

"I'd never let anything happen to her, I promise you."

"The future -"

"Is unwritten. Let whatever comes come. We'll deal with it."

"OK." She said softly, and linked her fingers in with his as the both sat to watch the sunset...

----

The end. Was it too sappy? Not sure if it's a bit overdone... let me know.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, they all made me smile. Buh-bye for now.


End file.
